One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), "an accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir, presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia, named one of the Top 100 Film Studies Blog on the Net.

Thursday, February 02, 2017

Leave it to David Gerrold -- the talented
creator of "The Trouble with Tribbles" onStar Trek and
the story editor for the best year ofLand
of the Lost -- to give audiences a reprieve here: the very best
early episode ofLogan'sRun: The Series(1977).

Of course, you won’t find Gerrold’s name
anywhere on the episode’s credits. This episode was penned by Noah Ward. (Get
it: No Award). Looking back on the
episode, I wonder if Gerrold regrets not taking credit for the good work. I
mean, perhaps -- in the great scheme of the universe -- this episode may not be
the greatest thing since sliced bread, but "Man out of Time" is an
inarguable high point in theLogan's
RunTV canon. It
also showcases the writer’s ethos; his essential morality as a human being. And
that’s a beautiful thing.

"Man Out of
Time" (by Noah Ward and directed by Nicholas Colasanto) begins in December
2118, only a short time before the nuclear war that will destroy the world and
lead to the shattered landscape Logan, Jessica and REM dwell in.

A group of committed scientists are
working on "The Sanctuary Project," an experiment with time travel.
They can open a time portal to the future for 22 hours, and plan to send
scientist David Eakins (Paul Shenar) through to investigate the future,
determine the cause of the nuclear war, and then come back in time and
(hopefully...) prevent it from ever occurring in the first place.

Eakins travels to the 23rd century and
meets Logan, as well as the primitive, barbarous descendants of the Sancutary
Project, people who worship the project computers and can't even read. While
Logan, Jessica and REM try to help these people grow more self-sufficient,
David Eakins realizes that if he undoes the future, he'll also be preventing
the births of his new friends, Logan and Jessica.

But still, David
heads back to the past to see what he can change. His last contact with Logan
and Jessica and REM is a shattering message sent to the future.

Back in the past, he's discovered the
cause of the nuclear war....it's him. David's discovery of time travel
and subsequent successful journey through time has spawned a new and deadly
arms race, with enemy nations demanding the technology to travel through time.

The United States, of course, wants to
keep the knowledge as a secret. And that's the beginning of the end...

"Only 12
more shopping days till Armageddon,"Eakins quips in “Man out of Time” at
one point, and that kind of snappy humor is only a part of this fine episode ofLogan's Run.
More importantly, all thedramatis personaecome across
as well-developed individuals for a change (including Logan and Jessica), and
each acts according to the strengths and weaknesses of his own unique
character, not stepping out of those parameters because of plot demands.

But more importantly, the episode builds
logically and inevitably to the shattering conclusion described here."History has a way of
catching up with mankind,"says
REM, and he's right...there's no going back, no matter how hard David Eakins
attempts to change things.

The events of this episode, and the
particulars of time travel, force the audience to consider some key moral
questions. Is it right to “wipe out” one
future -- Logan and Jessica’s -- to create another? There are no guarantees if the future is
changed, for example, that a different war won’t occur. Or perhaps, eventually, great good can come
from the great evil of the nuclear holocaust. Perhaps people like Logan and
Jessica will build a more just world that would not be possible in any other
reality.

But then again, perhaps, as David
believes, he can save the 7 billion people who will die in the holocaust, and
give Earth a new beginning that way. It
is a bit hard to imagine though, especially as he describes this world. He says
our world is one “crowded and angry and full of hate.”

But is a world of empty desolation better?

There are so many factors involved in a
decision of this magnitude, and there has been no issue of this “weight” yet in
Logan’s
Run: The Series. The great
thing, of course, is Eakins’ journey. He
lives up to the old proverb that man proposes and God disposes. He has spent
his professional life developing a technology to save the future, only to find
that his life’s work is the very thing that destroys that future. What a bitter
pill. And yet, in his final message to Logan, there is grace, and even hope. “Don’t
give up hope looking for your sanctuary,” he advises.

I also appreciate “Man out of Time”
because it is the only episode thus far of the series to deal in any
substantive way with the concept of Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary Project of the 22nd
century seems to be, at least, the spiritual ancestor of Logan and Jessica’s
Sanctuary. The word “Sanctuary” must
have been one used by survivors of the project, in the early days of the
nuclear winter, or holocaust. Eventually, it drifted into legend and myth, but
was still spoken of, as a place of safety and hope. I only wish that this
short-lived series could have described, in greater detail, the Runner legends
of Sanctuary, and how it came to be existed.

This episode is as close as we get, and it’s
a tantalizing piece of the puzzle, and I’m glad it’s in the canon. In a way,
this episode, “Man out of Time,” is the viewer’s reward for making from the
pilot (which is promising) through the first three regular episodes.

6 comments:

John, extremely accurate review of “Man Out of Time”. It is truly one of the best episodes of the this series along with the pilot episode. The Logan's Run canon of the Sanctuary Project is fascinating and would have fit into the 1976 film too. Maybe in the reboot film this will be used.

As a child of the 70s, I, of course, watched both the film and the series (perfect for someone all of 6-7 years of age then, too, despite the cheesy, "future disco" decor and costumes - a horror show of flowing wraps and gauze, not unlike civilian clothing the ST:TNG) and don't remember it actually being decent from time to time. Great concept!

About John

award-winning author of 27 books including Horror Films FAQ (2013), Horror Films of the 1990s (2011), Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), TV Year (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007), Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair (2006),, Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (2004), The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004), An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (2002), The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film & Television (2004), Exploring Space:1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to TV's Battlestar Galactica (1998), Terror Television (2001), Space:1999 - The Forsaken (2003) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002).

Follow by Email

What the Critics Say...

"...some of the best writing about the genre has been done by John Kenneth Muir. I am particularly grateful to him for the time and attention he's paid to things others have overlooked, under-appreciated and often written off. His is a fan's perspective first, but with a critic's eye to theme and underscore, to influence and pastiche..." - Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, in the foreword to Horror Films FAQ (October 2013).

"Hands down, John Kenneth Muir is one of the finest critics and writers working today. His deep analysis of contemporary American culture is always illuminating and insightful. John's film writing and criticism is outstanding and a great place to start for any budding writer, but one should also examine his work on comic books, TV, and music. His weighty catalog of books and essays combined with his significant blog production places him at the top of pop culture writers. Johns work is essential in understanding the centrality of culture in modern society." - Professor Bob Batchelor, cultural historian and Executive Director of the James Pedas Communication Center at Thiel College (2014).

"...an independent film scholar, [Muir] explains film studies concepts in a language that is reader-friendly and engaging..." (The Hindu, 2007)"...Muir's genius lies in his giving context to the films..." (Choice, 2007)